Ridnour's 3 FTs give T'wolves OT win over Bucks

Oct 23, 2010 - 4:43 AM
By COLIN FLY
AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- New Timberwolves guard Luke Ridnour had a small
measure of revenge against his former teammates. But after the
game, both teams were crying foul about the officiating after
the crew called 63 personal fouls and six technicals.

Ridnour hit three free throws with 1 second left in overtime to
rally Minnesota to a 119-118 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on
Friday night in the exhibition finale for both teams.

"It seems like it always starts like this in the preseason - a
lot of fouls, emphasizing different things and then the regular
season gets started it is a different game," said Ridnour, who
signed a $16 million, four-year contract in July. "We just got
to adjust to it and keep fighting and get ready for the real
show."

The crew of Leroy Richardson, Gary Zielinski and Ed Malloy blew
the whistle early and often.

"You hear the fans complaining about the game of basketball, how
it's not the same as it used to be and they want to make it more
fan attractive," said Drew Gooden, who finished with 12 points
and was careful not to criticize the officiating. "(If) it's the
way we have to make it more fan attractive by making the calls,
then so be it."

The Bucks led 118-112 with 2:05 left, but the Timberwolves (6-2)
hit seven straight free throws to end it. Ridnour finished with
17 points, including going 10 of 10 from the free throw line,
and had seven assists against his old team.

Minnesota trailed by 15 points in the first half, but Ridnour
hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left that sent the game into
overtime after Keyon Dooling missed a contested runner at the
buzzer for the Bucks (3-5).

Corey Maggette scored all 17 of his points form the free throw
line on 20 attempts before fouling out in his Bucks' debut. He
missed both of his shots from the field.

Maggette and Gooden were the two biggest additions to the Bucks,
who made the playoffs for the first time in four years last
season but had a glaring lack of offensive firepower after
Andrew Bogut's season-ending injury.

Maggette fouled out in the third quarter, and Gooden and Bogut
weren't on the court down the stretch. Bogut, still working his
way back from right elbow, wrist and hand injuries suffered in
April, scored seven points and had six rebounds in 25 minutes.

"Sixty-three fouls called in a game, the game just went two
hours and 50 minutes, it was pretty boring," Bogut said. "You
get games like that, you don't want them."

Milwaukee failed to grab a rebound late when the Timberwolves
missed two 3-point attempts in the closing seconds before
Ridnour was fouled by Chris Douglas-Roberts with 1 second left.
After hitting all three free throws, he leapt into Kevin Love's
arms on the bench.

"That was a veteran-type of play and he recognized the clock,"
Douglas-Roberts said. "He created the contact but at the end of
the game you've got to leave it up to the ref right there, and
the ref made the foul call."

Timberwolves center Darko Milicic returned from a sore neck,
scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He also drew laughs
when he dunked a ball in the fourth quarter, hung on the rim
drawing the sixth technical of the night, and then fell
awkwardly.

"It's tough but it's those new rules so we've got to control our
actions and watch what we say," said Timberwolves forward Corey
Brewer, who also drew a technical.

It certainly had the feel of an exhibition game until the end.

At one point during an officials' review, Michael Beasley sat on
the scorers' table and chatted with Bucks TV analyst Jon
McGlocklin, who asked him about Minnesota's weather.

"I'm already freezing," Beasley quipped after being dealt from
Miami in a trade that helped the Heat clear salary cap space to
sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh.